The newly formed Children’s Media Conference, formerly known as the Showcomotion Conference, was commissioned by Screen Agency, Northwest Vision and Media to produce three informational seminars, designed to stimulate production companies of various types based in the north of England to consider the opportunities in working in the children’s sector in the future. The first of the three seminars: “Meet the Commissioners” - was a chance to hear from (and quiz) some of the key broadcasters engaged in commissioning content for kids in the UK. It was produced and presented by Anthony Utley (ex MD of Cosgrove Hall Films) and took place as an all-day event at the Northwest Vision and Media Headquarters in Salford Quays on the 28th January 2010. For those of you who couldn’t make it, here’s how the key commissioners set out their stall on a damp Salford afternoon. Information was also provided by companies unable to attend the event – CITV and Nickelodeon UK. The structure was straightforward – each speaker had an hour to present and answer questions from the audience. Then they were shuffled off for their one-to-ones to get a chance to meet the locals After Anthony Utley’s introduction, exec producer CBBC Commissioning Unit Melissa Hardinge (silent ‘e’) was first up, standing in for Damian Kavanagh who sent his apologies but was caught up in the middle of his first commissioning round. MELISSA HARDINGE - Executive Producer CBBC Commissioning Unit Melissa gave a comprehensive presentation, explaining the ethos, set-up, structure and commissioning process at CBBC. The Commissioning Unit itself consists of: Alison Gregory,
[email protected] Bridget Banton
[email protected] Melissa Hardinge
[email protected] Rebecca Shallcross
[email protected] Catherine McAllister
[email protected] Sue Nott is the commissioning exec for independent drama
[email protected] Their target is children aged 6-12.